Bunneys Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Last year at our first ever Toy-in on Vancouver Island, it rained some... My wife noticed a small drip on her in the middle of the night... I noticed then that there was a fair sized lake on the roof... it was coming in through the TV antenna crank-up thing we never use. So I started to think about removing it and that is where it all started... What I know now... The roof is just 1"X 1" wood... Ya, that is it! a thin covering of aluminum on the top, some foam board (1/8 thick) 1X1 with 1" foam all glued and stapled together. (Under the AC unit there is 1" X1" metal) I had this idea if I just pushed up on the roof while it was stored, it might regain some of it's flatness... I think that made it worse I noticed my cabinets were starting to pull away for the side and that is when i thought I had better do something. I started by removing the cabinets, then the 1/8 paneling on the roof. That was very hard(glued in). The next steep was to cut out some 2" channels so i could screw some 1"X2" aluminum channel in there. With that in, it now is perfectly flat again. :-) I have decided to ditch the AC unit and install the Fantastic Fans... Also I am going to look for some other paneling for the roof. And the thin aluminum is too thin now, many small holes and some rips... I don't think I can take on the big project of removing and replacing it, but i need to seal it up. I'm thinking of using the roll-on bed-liner stuff... here are some pictures of the work so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85mirage Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 i too couldnt believe how thin the roof is. my shasta didnt even have metal for the ac and not nearly as many "sticks" in the rest. I had a couple 1x2 and 1x3 around ac and all were layed down not on edge thereby making them very easy to sag quite a shame! I would reccomend installing a rubber roof over your tin and bring it over the sides and screw in aluminum termination bar around perimeter. Alot easier install if you dont have any protrusions through the roof. Or remove most and the reinstall over new rubber. Fairly easy install. I install them on homes, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I too plan for removing the huge Coleman AC from my roof and opt for a nice inside unit for heat and ac that vents through a pipe out the back, which I could exhaust out a small round port out the side. Thanks for the photos and the input about your experiences. PEACE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84TOYRV Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 One of the first things that I did for my Dolphin was remove the huge A/C unit off of the roof. I dropped in another roof vent, instead. Don't miss the A/C at all and have a brighter kitchen now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 I will miss the A/C... But I sold the unit for $200 and got two, new take-out fantastic fans from the local RV repair place for $150. They had a tent sale set-up, usually I find the great deals after I buy the full priced units so I'm happy I am still leaning towards the roll-on bed liner stuff for the roof. it is on sale for $79.00 and you can send away for a $25~$30 rebate. Now I just need to win a eBay auction for a Maxx Air vent cover... anybody use advance auto parts for online orders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Continuing on with the project... I was almost ready to put up the paneling, but thought twice about using the original metal 1"X1" that was used to support the weight of the A/C unit. (It was starting to rust) I thought about removing it and painting but since it would have to come out anyway best to replace it with the aluminum channel too! So that is all done now and the first ceiling panel is installed... (Not an easy one person job) I used Advanced Auto Parts to order the roll-on bed liner... Hopefully it will arrive this weekend and I can start coating the roof soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 The final panel is up! It is not glued like the original ones were and you can tell. I hope once i have the Vent trims on it will help suck them up a bit. I'm having a problem with my cheep ebay LED dimmer. It worked fine when i tested it out before, but now that it is all installed and all the wires are nicely cable-tied together in the ceiling it is either running too many lights (over powered) or there is a short somewhere... I have to do more investigation this weekend if I get the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Last week, everything went my way... The weather was nice and sunny, my wife took the kids to Birchbay for a week. It was finally time to try out the roll-on bed-liner. I was not too sure what the best way to do it would be, do it with the vents on or off... I finally decided to remove everything from the roof and cover it! The instructions say you must scruff-up the area first... that took the longest... I kept finding putty, silicone, old stickers to slowly scrape off... (and it was very hot on the roof too) That took me 3 days (working after my day job) Next I had to figure out where to start and stop... I decided to put the painters tape just above the marker-lights for the front and back. and use the screw trim channel thing for the sides... (That gave me a place to tuck the tape into so it would stay there too... ) I tried to find a large roller, but no one could find anything close to the small one that came with the kit... One guy tried to sell me a $20 stucco roller, but I'm much too cheap, so I did the entire roof with that little roller... (lucky, I could use the screw-on extension poll) I did try a regular paint roller, it does not work at all... I also stole one of my daughters small paint brushes, that worked great on the edges. "Painting" took me around 3 hours... I notice it took 3 days to harden. My wife took the camera, so i used the ipad thing to take some pictures... I have them, I'm just not sure how to get them off the thing onto photobucket...? I will post them up when i figure it out One can does one coat, after the vents are back on, I might do another coat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Ok, here are some pictures... Lots of dried grass in this picture, I had to cover it one night, they said there was a chance of rain. Once everything is finally screwed on, I will do a 2nd full coat. then paint it to match the rest of the RV. A BIG Thank you pdqmovie for doing this first! Here is his post: http://toyotamotorho...?showtopic=1942 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 ... then paint it to match the rest of the RV. Maybe do the next coat in white to save yourself a step? http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Truck-Bedliner-Gator-Guard-II-Bed-liner-Kit-/360481707259?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item53ee6254fb&vxp=mtr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 That would be great! but that stuff only covers 32 sq.ft/ kit I would need around 4 kits !! This is the stuff i used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Does Dupli-Color say anything about accepting paint? Just came across this (biased?) comparison:- http://www.monstaliner.com/monstaliner_comparisons.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 I will agree with what they say... When i first opened the can, there was one huge lump... It took me 1/2 hour to stir it together. The instructions say to stir it every 10 min. (I did, and had no problems) However, I would not like this product to be used on a fancy truck, it does not look constant. However, on the roof it is just perfect As for painting, they do talk about it a bit... It is generally not recommended because it is rubbery, but again, on my roof it will hopefully not get the same abuse as a truck bed... Perhaps they should call it RV roof coating and everybody will be happy I guess the bottom line, you get what you pay for.. Duplicolor Bed Armor is a new product made by Sherwin Williams. Bed Armor is a one component water base urethane that contains fine Kevlar particles which really does nothing to enhance durability but acts as a texturizing agent and an alternate to using crumb rubber. Bed Armor claims to be UV protected and we believe this is correct. We were not impressed at all with this product. Even with constant stirring, it was very difficult to keep the Kevlar material from clumping together resulting in a terrible and non-uniform texture. We were quite surprised with the poor results during testing and thought we had a bad can so we ordered another online instead of buying it locally. Same poor results! Shame on you Sherwin! This product is a disaster. Just look at the video on the Bed Armor web site and you can see that the texture obtained from rolling is terrible. They won't even show a close-up of the results in their own promotional video. Contains Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate, CAS # 117-81-7 which EPA has listed as a "probable human carcinogen" See here for the data http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/subst/0014.htm Bed Armor is available in quarts and 1 gallon kits with roller, tray, brush and scuff pad. Gal kits #BAK2010 @ $80.00 - $100.00. No pot life, 43% volume solids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Well, I sure hope you can get some white paint to stick, otherwise it's going to get awfully hot inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90toydolphin Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 i would think there would be an appropriate primer out there that would help with the sticking. maybe some industrial paint shop could help. then again any quality paint may stick fine. if hail is a regular occurance that may be hard on it, i don't live where it hails much so that wouldn't be something i'd worry about ). looks good and i think should work well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackP Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Bunneys - Nice job of work. Thanks for referring me to this. Gracias, Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Ok, here are some pictures... Lots of dried grass in this picture, I had to cover it one night, they said there was a chance of rain. Once everything is finally screwed on, I will do a 2nd full coat. then paint it to match the rest of the RV. A BIG Thank you pdqmovie for doing this first! Here is his post: http://toyotamotorho...?showtopic=1942 Wow, looks so fantastic! I have read the concerns about the black and the heat it will adsorb. I have known a few people who have used this aluminized type of product over their roofs. Use the white to cover the areas one can see up to the roof line, and the coating on top? Just a suggestion as it is another layer of protection as well as being highly reflective. Again, a very great job! My roof will be a project for next season, but I am going a different route. I will post my work when I get'er done! Happy travels! http://www.promaxcom..._source=froogle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I wonder if you could spay-can around windows to stop leaks and rot? or would it be a bad idea because you can never remove/fix window let me know what you guys think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89slumberdude Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Very informative and most valuable to me as I have (guess what)?...The same leak from the same place (antenna crank handle)...I took it out and made an alum. plate (about 6" square) and siliconed it to outside of the alum. roof along with a 1/2" thick piece of plywood (as a spacer block) with the center 4" cut out to coil up that antenna cable inside & secured it to the alum roof panel with 8 stainless 1-3/4" metal screws...(see pics)...I did this in case I wanted to use it at a later date rather than just cut the cable off? ...Not a drop has come through since.. I also was curious as to where else it might get water in from so, I took the a/c inside cover off and noticed it was damp around the edges of the installation hole through the roof...I loosened the 4 long bolts,left them with just 4-5 threads still in the frame to help with re-alignment, went outside and pried the a/c unit upwards, (Took several ladder climbs to get it propped up), Wound up using 4- 2x4's x 3' stacked up on each other across the roof to hold/prop the unit high enough to get under it and cleaned off all the old seal... I then replaced it with an expandable gasket you cut to length... I bought at Home Depot...It comes on a roll and after you open the roll, it starts expanding...it is guaranteed to stop leaks as the amount you compress it increases..Great stuff as there is now no leak from the a/c unit either...I will now check the remaining vents for any leaks... Now for the biggy...My question to you is, how do the cabinets come off?... I'll be removing the ceiling sheets and see no screws or brackets holding them in place?...That idea of (sistering) the alum. bracing looks very professional and I had thought about it & as (you have found) the roof sag can't be resolved without the extra support these braces give...This will be my winter project so, maybe we can swap stories at the next Toyota M/home gathering?...Thanks for the great documentation and pics you provided...They will help me immensely along with the procedure for removing those cabinets...Cheers, thanks in advance...Barry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 Now for the biggy...My question to you is, how do the cabinets come off?... Barry, The cabinets on the Dolphin came out easily for me. They were just screwed in. Most of the screws are easy to see, but some were under the "floor" of the cabinet. The paneling for the ceiling was a bugger, it looks like the the entire roof was pre-made and then screw/stapled to the walls, so there is 1" on either side you would have to cut out. It was not easy, but I have to get at least 1/2 an inch of it out so i could slide in the new panel. Here are some pictures of the cabinets I have, hope it helps! If you would like to come and have a look at our 's feel free to send me a PM, it is still not 100% back together Nice Slumber Queen RV you have! I don't see many of those... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdrhound Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 I had over a half inch of roof sag at the a/c opening. Also had trouble with the cabinets falling off the ceiling. Removing the a/c is not an option - not to be allowed by my lady! I used 1.5" square thick walled aluminum to span between the roof supports. 1/2" x 1.5" channel was needed to lift the unit above the compressor section, which drops 1/2" below the rest of the a/c, and as the inside clamp pieces. 1/4 -20 x1.75" bolts tapped into the tubing. (First had to use 2.5" bolts to pull into place.) Since the roof is curved, the front and rear filler pieces between the square tube required quite a bit of belt sander and hammer work to shape that bottom curve, using the channel material. Foam pipe insulation made a good gasket. My local RV shop helped me lift the a/c back to the roof with their forklift. Used 9' of the square tube, and almost all 20' of the channel. Gap between roof and tubing Gap is gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeard Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Powderhound - can you show how you attached this tubing on the inside of the coach? What was the structure on the inside?? Thanks, Redbeard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEric Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 I had a similar roof problem on my 91 Warrior, only not nearly so severe. I didn't have an AC to dispose of, but I did have a TV antenna (that I also will never use). The interior damage was limited to delamination of the roofing panels extending from the antenna opening. For now I am leaving this. A few ripples don't look that bad. After removing the antenna I covered the hole on the roof with a 12x18 inch piece of sheet metal. I bedded it in with butyl rubber tape and attached it with a dozen sheet metal screws. While I was up there I bedded down two 6 lengths of aluminum channel to use for solar panel mounts. I wasn't sure how to attach them to the roof. I ended up through bolting with brass toilet bowl hardware. (The toggles that would go into the floor flange when installing a toilet are the right color and unobtrusive in the ceiling). I finished off by recoating the roof with EPDM Liquid Roof. First a two part epoxy primer is put down. This was followed a day later with a two part rubber coating. It took a couple of days to cure. I finished off my roof project by adding two 45 watt Coast Guard surplus solar panels. I mounted the solar panels rigidly. I'll give up some efficiencies, in order to not have to mess with repositioning them. The leads from the solar panels go down the fridge vent (No more holes in the roof!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModocMade Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Hey Bunneys, how Did you mount the aluminum to the side walls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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